A New York man arrested Tuesday in a shooting that killed two people and injured a third is a ‘well-known’ gang member who has been arrested at least 12 times in the past decade, police said during of a press conference.
Sundance Oliver, 28, was taken into custody on Tuesday morning after a violent 24-hour rampage, including the killings of a 17-year-old girl shot dead in a Crown Heights apartment and a 21-year-old man in an apartment in Lower Manhattan. Oliver is also charged with the non-fatal shooting of a 96-year-old bystander who was struck by gunfire during an attempted robbery.
The violence spanned three boroughs, including the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan, prompting a massive manhunt for the suspect.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said Oliver was a “well-known” law enforcement gang member with a long history of crime. rap.
Oliver and four other people were allegedly involved in an armed robbery on the afternoon of Nov. 21, 2022. The suspects attacked a man and stole about $4,450 in U.S. currency, Essig said. Police identified Oliver during the November 21 robbery on December 3, 2022.
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On Friday, December 2, shortly before 6 p.m., police arrested and charged a man named Brandon Hampton with reckless endangerment for allegedly shooting from a moving vehicle. Essig said investigators believe Oliver was in that vehicle with Hampton.
On Saturday, Dec. 3 in the Bronx, Oliver got into an argument with his girlfriend and punched her in the face, causing injury, Essig said.
The next day, Oliver pointed a gun at a victim outside a bodega at 444 Ralph Ave in Brooklyn. The victim ran inside the Bodega and Oliver fired two shots, Essig said. Oliver then allegedly got behind the counter and stole $3,560 and fled the scene. Police recovered two 9mm casings from the scene, Essig said.
Around 9:30 a.m. Monday, Oliver allegedly approached Hampton’s girlfriend and demanded $50, Essig said. The woman fled, Oliver fired shots and accidentally shot an unintended target – a 96-year-old man – in the right leg. Police recovered a 9mm casing.
Later that afternoon, a 20-year-old man was fatally shot in an apartment in the Smith public housing estate at 15 St. James Place. Witnesses told police the assailant was Oliver, Essig said. Seven 9mm casings were recovered from the scene.
Just after midnight, a 17-year-old woman was shot and killed at 719 Kingsborough 7 Walk. Witnesses identified the perpetrator as Oliver, Essig said. Police recovered two 9mm casings from the scene.
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Essig said the two homicide victims were known to the suspect, but the motive for their murders remains unclear at this time.
Essig said Oliver had 12 previous arrests and was “well known” to law enforcement as a member of a robbery gang that operates in and around the Kingsborough housing estate.
Oliver was arrested in 2020 for a loaded gun. In 2014 he was arrested and charged with threatening and attempted murder for a robbery in which he fired two shots. He was sentenced to six years in prison and five years after his release.
In 2013, he was arrested for aggravated harassment, resisting arrest and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. In 2012 Oliver was arrested for criminal possession of a weapon. In 2010, he was arrested for gang assault.
After his arrest on Tuesday, Essig said, Oliver was placed in a holding cell in the 77th Precinct where he became “extremely violent and agitated” and destroyed property. Emergency Services Unit staff brought him under control and he is currently at Kings County Hospital for evaluation.
Oliver faces three second-degree robbery counts — one for the Nov. 21, 2022, robbery, one for the Dec. 4, robbery at the Bodega, and another for the woman’s Dec. 5, robbery. He also faces an attempted murder charge for the 96-year-old who was shot in the leg.
Essig said additional charges may be pending while investigators work on the case. It was not immediately clear whether Oliver had retained the services of an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office for comment.
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.